Hands-on Knights in the Nightmare

Share.

We sit down with the next big RPG heading to DS.

By Mark Bozon

Seeing as March has been a blockbuster month for DS titles already, we figured it was time to blow the roof out on yet another must-have offering that's headed to Nintendo's dual screen handheld in just a couple months. Knights in the Nightmare is developed by Sting, who is the Japanese team responsible for such classics as Riviera and Ydggra Union. On Game Boy Advance, Riviera got a straight 9/10 from us, and its PSP port has also been very well received. This is a studio that knows beautiful visuals, but also one that – like Treasure – is hell-bent on making games that define their own genres, instead of fitting into other formulas. If you played any of Sting's previous games, you should already know what to expect with Knights in the Nightmare, and that is, quite simply, the unexpected.

As part of our coverage on Knights in the Nightmare, I'm aiming to take a very different approach with this game. There's a niche crowd out there that will automatically be picking this game up, but after my first hour long hands-on with the game I'm convinced that the intimidation factor surrounding a game like Knights is much larger of a barrier than any actual in-game hang-ups. This is a game RPG fans should all embrace, and after 60 minutes of play I went from knowing nothing about the game to being a true believer in it, and I'm convinced others will too. As we continue to cover the game until release, I'll be updating not only with just screens or videos, but also more casual, laid back narrated videos as well. If I find something particularly interesting, I'll record it and show it off. Not only will it help you better decide if it's a game you're down with, but it'll get everyone over the intimidation factor that comes with such a robust and original experience.

To check out my first video commentary, centered on the game's fundamentals and basic controls, click on the video link below. Then, check out the rest of my hands-on and dive into one of the deepest, original, and rewarding RPG experiences on DS. I can assure you it's like nothing you've ever played before.

Warning: If you want to know what in the Sam Hell I'm talking about in this hands-on, you'll want to watch the video first. Otherwise your head might explode. That's why I made the video. I made it so your head wouldn't explode.

To check out our video walkthrough of Knights in the Nightmare, click the link above.

Knights in the Nightmare is a game that can be best described as an action/arcade/strategy mash-up. The core game looks and feels like a tactical RPG similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, Atlus's own Luminous Arc, or something like Tactics Ogre. Instead of controlling a huge slew of characters, moving them around the screen in turn-by-turn chess matches, however, you play as the stylus itself, embodied in a character called the "Wisp." Wherever you point, the cursor-creature flies to, so as you drag around the screen you're actually highlighting items, but also controlling the only character in the game that can take direct damage.

Here's how it all works. Knights in the Nightmare is based on the concept that the Wisp can possess ghosts of fallen warriors. You arrive in this town (specifically a tower) where the souls are reliving a mysterious battle that took place years ago. Each actual fight in the game is based on monsters attacking the Wisp, which brings you to specific one-screen tactics fights. Confused? Hang in there.

Once a battle starts, the Wisp summons either random or specific heroes based on the fight itself. Early on you use "borrowed" heroes, but s the game progresses you'll start building a stable of fighters you can use as you please. Fights are, at least for the most part, played by standing in place. Enemies move in predetermined paths which you can see at all times, and each fighter the Wisp is in charge of can attack on certain points of the grid as well, so it becomes a matter of using attacks at the right time, and hitting enemies as they wander around the little world. To do this, you'll simply fly the Wisp over to allies, hold on them while an attack charges, and then let go by lifting the stylus, which will start an attack. If enemies were in the spaces attacked, you do damage. Pretty simple really.